Welcome Guest! If you are already a member of the BMW MOA, please log in to the forum in the upper right hand corner of this page. Check "Remember Me?" if you wish to stay logged in.

We hope you enjoy the excellent technical knowledge, event information and discussions that the BMWMOA forum provides.
Why not take the time to join the club, so you can enjoy posting on
the forum, the club magazine, and all of the discounts and benefits the BMWMOA offers?Want to read the MOA monthly magazine for free? Take a 3-month test ride of the magazine; check here for details.

If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You will need to join the MOA before you can post: click this register link to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

NOTE. Some content will be hidden from you. If you want to view all content, you must register for the forum if you are not a member, or if a member, you must be logged in.

2004 1150RT starter noise

My starter continues to make noise after releasing the starter button . I saw a recommendation to lubricate the starter . Does that sound logical ? If so ,what is it specifically that needs lubrication and what lube would you use ?

I had the same problem on my R1100RT a few years ago. I pulled the starter off and took it to a guy who rebuilds starters. He put on a new drive, the gear that moves into the gear on the flywheel. When it wears out it sticks and causes the noise. He charged me about $50 dollars for the part and labor. The cost of the part alone was near $100 from the dealer. You have to remove the tupperware on the left side to get to the starter. That is the hardest part. Getting the starter off was not difficult. It has been good for the last 35K miles.

Oilheads have a one-way clutch built into the starter drive. The clutch will screetch when the starter button is released when the starter clutch is dirty.

Remove the starter. Locate the silver colored disk assembly (it may look black if dirty) rearward of the nose gear. Clean the outside. Notice the seam on the forward face of the silver disk. Place the starter vertical, nose up, and spray some brake system cleaner or electric motor cleaner right at the seam in the face of the clutch. Rotate the starter nose gear. It will turn one way without turning the motor and the other way it will grip and turn the motor. Use the solvent and then compressed air a couple of times to clean the clutch. Then, while still oriented vertical add a couple of drops of light machine oil at the shaft/beraing interface at the starter nose. Reinstall the starter. The noise will be gone for the next 10 or 20 thousand miles - then clean it again.

Paul Glaves - "Big Bend", Texas U.S.A
"The greatest challenge to any thinker is stating the problem in a way that will allow a solution." - Bertrand Russellhttp://web.bigbend.net/~glaves/

thanks

Originally Posted by billb

I had the same problem on my R1100RT a few years ago. I pulled the starter off and took it to a guy who rebuilds starters. He put on a new drive, the gear that moves into the gear on the flywheel. When it wears out it sticks and causes the noise. He charged me about $50 dollars for the part and labor. The cost of the part alone was near $100 from the dealer. You have to remove the tupperware on the left side to get to the starter. That is the hardest part. Getting the starter off was not difficult. It has been good for the last 35K miles.